Improvement in journals and bearings



J. WHITAKER.

Journals and Bearings.

Patented Dec. 9,1873.

@754; Witter fix mm M: Attorneys.

WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH WHITAKER, OF WOONSOGKET, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO SIMEON S.COOK, OF SAME PLACE.

lMPHO-VEMENT IN JOURNALS AND BEARINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 145,467, dated December9, 1873; application filed November 19, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH WHITAKER, of Woonsocket, in the county ofProvidence and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Self-Lubricating Journal-Bearings; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full and exact description of the same,reference being had to the acwhich supports the shaft, showingtheorifice for the spring-bearing. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of thespring tube and bearin g and Fig. 4, a transverse vertical section,representing all the parts in place.

Similar letters of reference in the accompanying drawings denote thesame parts.

This invention relates to that class of selflubricating journal-bearingsin which the rotation of the shaft over an orifice in the bearingconnected withan oilreservoir produces a vacuum in said orifice andpumps, or draws the oil to the bearing-surface.

In devices of this class it is highly necessary to keep the revolvingshaft and the bearing in extremely close contact, in order to preventthe admission of air between the two and preserve the vacuum in theoil-supplyin g reservoir.

In case the belts exert an upward strain on the shaft, a slightseparation between the shaft and lower bearing results, this separationproducin g a crevice which admits air to the mouth of the oil-channel ororifice, destroys the vacuum, and prevents the upward flow of oil.

My invention is an improvement on the patent of W. W. Crane, patentedApril 28, 1868;

- and has for its object to provide a journalbearing in which a perfectvacuum shall be maintained in the oil-supplying tube under allcircumstances; and to this end it consists in providing the lowerbearing-shell with a vertical spring-tube communicating with theoilreservoir, instead of the fixed tube employed in the patent abovementioned. The springtube is provided on its upper end with a concaveface fitting the periphery of the shaft, and is pressed against thelatter by a spiral spring, or its equivalent, so that the mouth of theoil-tube is always held in close contact with the shaft, and a perfectvacuum main-- tained, as I will now proceed to describe.

In the drawings, A represents the oil-reservoir; and B, the inner shellor journal-bearing, both of which in general form. resemble those shownin the patent above mentioned. Instead of providing the lower half ofthe bearing B with a rigid tube or channel extending downward into theoil-reservoir, I cut an aperture, 0, in the center, of any desiredshape, with its sides somewhat inclined 1nward, and in this aperture theblock or head D of the tube E is fitted. The head D is pro vided with aconcave face fitting the periphery of the shaft F, against which it ispressed by the spiral spring G. The tube E extends downward into a boss,H, in the lower portion of the oil-reservoir, as shown in. Fig. 4c, andconnects the latter with the shaft.

The operation will be readily understood. The revolution of the shaftcreates a vacuum in the tube E, on well-known principles, and the oil isdrawn thereby from the reservoir.

The'head D, fitting closely against the shaft,

is kept in contact therewith by the spring G hence any slight upwardmovement of the shaft cannot produce a crevice sufficient to admit airto the mouth of the tube E. The wear of the head D is taken up by thespring, which renders the head self-adjustin g.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is- 1. Incombination with a journal-box, having an upper and lower bearing, anindependent self-adjusting oil-tube, working in an aperture in the lowerbearing, and held in contact with the shaft by a spring, substantiallyas described, for the purpose specified.

2. The bearing B, having the aperture 0, in combination with the tube E,having the concave head D, and spiral spring G, substantially asdescribed, for the purpose specified.

WVitnesses: JOSEPH WHITAKER.

N. K. ELLSWORTH, O. F. BROWN.

